The 2027 tariffs are coming: the 2026 baseline to compare them with

A fixed timetable, three dates

The annual electricity tariff cycle follows the same steps every year. Grid operators report their tariffs for the following year before the end of August. The Federal Electricity Commission then makes its national comparison available in early September. The new tariffs take effect on 1 January and remain fixed for the whole year.

That regularity makes it possible to plan ahead. Anyone who knows their current tariff can, from publication onwards, measure the exact scale of the change and compare it with what neighbouring municipalities pay, on the same consumption basis.

The 2026 baseline, municipality by municipality

In 2026 the median tariff stands at 27.89 centimes per kilowatt hour for the H4 profile, a household consuming 4’500 kilowatt hours a year. That corresponds to an annual bill of about 1’255 francs. Half of all municipalities sit between 26.39 and 30.02 centimes.

The extremes are far further apart: 9.64 centimes in Zwischbergen (VS) against 43.61 centimes in Kestenholz (SO). For the same household the annual bill rises from 434 to 1’962 francs, a difference of 1’529 francs.

What will move and what will not

An electricity tariff adds together energy, grid use, municipal levies and the federal surcharge. The grid share accounts for a median 40 % of the total in 2026: it depends on local infrastructure costs and changes more slowly than the price of energy.

• Energy follows the markets and the operator’s procurement contracts.
• The grid reflects local infrastructure costs, steadier from year to year.
• Municipal levies rest on a local political decision.
• The federal surcharge is identical everywhere.

An announced increase therefore does not spread evenly across municipalities. Comparing the percentage change alone can mislead: two municipalities raising tariffs by 5 % are not starting from the same level.

The useful comparison is the level reached, not the change announced. A municipality starting from 22 centimes and raising by 10 % remains cheaper than one at 33 centimes that does not raise at all.

The cantons with the extreme medians

In 2026 the lowest cantonal medians are those of Zug (21.88 ct.), Nidwalden (22.06 ct.), Zurich (24.14 ct.) and Geneva (24.88 ct.). The highest belong to Basel-Stadt (33.25 ct.), Schaffhausen (32.20 ct.), Solothurn (30.47 ct.) and Basel-Landschaft (30.20 ct.).

Official tariffs of the Federal Electricity Commission for 2026, H4 consumption profile (4’500 kWh a year), standard product, all components included. Where several grid operators serve the same municipality, which applies to 130 municipalities, Civiora shows the median of the tariffs. The dates in the tariff timetable are those given by the Federal Electricity Commission.